CHRISTINE TARLING Director of Legislated Services & City Clerk Corporate Services Department Kitchener City Hall, 2nd Floor 200 King Street West, P.O. Box 1118 Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7 Phone: 519.741.2200 x 7809 Fax: 519.741.2705 [email protected] TTY: 519-741-2385

September 23, 2020

Ms. Kris Fletcher Region of Waterloo 150 Frederick St., 2nd Fl. Kitchener ON N2G 4J3

Dear Ms. Fletcher:

This is to advise that City Council, at a meeting held on September 14, 2020, passed the following resolution regarding safe supply initiatives:

“WHEREAS the overdose crisis, attributed to contamination of the unregulated market by a wide variety of substances, has been one of the most significant public health crises in recent Canadian history; between January 2016 and December 2019, nearly 15,400 Canadians lost their lives from apparent opioid-related causes; and,

WHEREAS the contaminated drug crisis has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the unregulated drug supply reported to be more toxic and service providers hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, preliminary counts in Ontario show a 35% increase in the number of suspected overdose-related deaths; within Waterloo region, opioid-related poisoning deaths are expected to reach record levels in 2020; and,

WHEREAS in August 2020, the federal Minister of Health called on all Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Health and regulatory colleges to proactively encourage practitioners to provide people who use drugs with a full spectrum of care, including access to safer, pharmaceutical-grade alternatives to the contaminated drug supply, for people at risk of overdose; and,

WHEREAS the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Ontario’s Community Health Centres, the Municipal Drug Strategy Network of Ontario, and others have requested support to facilitate the establishment of Safe Supply initiatives in Ontario communities; and,

WHEREAS despite these and other recent proactive steps, funding and regulatory barriers continue to prevent people who use drugs and the community organizations supporting them from accessing or establishing a Safe Supply; and,

WHEREAS offering Safe Supply initiatives to people who use drugs is an approach that will prevent death and injuries and reduce the community impacts of problematic substance use resulting in a healthier and safer community for everyone.

NOW THEREFORE the City of Kitchener calls on the Provincial and Federal ministers of health and relevant regulatory Colleges to support and fund the provision of Safe Supply initiatives in our community; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Kitchener shares this resolution with our local health authorities and health care providers to encourage implementation of Safe Supply initiatives during this unprecedented time as an important component in their efforts to provide a health response to the overdose poisoning crisis; and,

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that this resolution be shared with the provincial and federal Ministers of Health, all local Members of Parliament and Members of Provincial Parliament, all local municipalities, Waterloo Region Integrated Drug Strategy, KW4Health, Waterloo Wellington LHIN, Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, Ontario Health Team, Inner City Health Alliance, Alliance For Healthier Communities, Municipal Drug Strategy Network of Ontario, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Ontario College of Pharmacists, Nurse Practitioners Association of Ontario, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, Public Health Ontario, Public Health Agency of , Canadian Public Health Association, Canadian Drug Policy Association, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.”

Yours truly,

C. Tarling Director of Legislated Services & City Clerk

CHRISTINE TARLING Director of Legislated Services & City Clerk Corporate Services Department Kitchener City Hall, 2nd Floor 200 King Street West, P.O. Box 1118 Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7 Phone: 519.741.2200 x 7809 Fax: 519.741.2705 [email protected] TTY: 519-741-2385

c: Honourable Christine Elliott, Provincial Minister of Health Honourable Patty Hadju, Federal Minister of Health Honourable Tim Louis, M.P. Honourable , M.P. Honourable Marwan Tabbara, M. P. Honourable , M.P. Honourable , M.P. Honourable Amy Fee, M.P.P. Honourable Catherine Fife, M.P.P. Honourable Belinda Karahalios, M.P.P. Honourable Mike Harris, M.P.P. Honourable Laura Mae Lindo, M.P.P. Ashley Sage, Clerk, Township of North Dumfries Dawn Mittelholtz, Director of Information and Legislative Services/Municipal Clerk, Township of Wilmot Grace Kosch, Clerk, Township of Wellesley Olga Smith, City Clerk, City of Waterloo Val Hummel, Director of Corporate Services/Clerk, Township of Woolwich Danielle Manton, City Clerk, City of Cambridge Sharon Ord, Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network Dr. Brenda Copps, President, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario Waterloo Region Integrated Drug Strategy Alliance for Healthier Communities Municipal Drug Strategy Coordinator’s Network of Ontario Ontario College of Pharmacists Public Health Ontario Bill Karsten, President, Federation of Canadian Municipalities Monika Turner, Association of Municipalities of Ontario Christine Sadeler, Executive Director, Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council Ontario Health Teams Tina Namiesniowsk, President, Public Health Agency of Canada KW4Health Nurse Practitioners Association of Ontario Inner City Health Alliance Registered Nurses Association of Ontario Canadian Public Health Association Canadian Drug Policy Association